Matthew Arnold's Sohrab and Rustum and Other Poems by Matthew Arnold

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escape on Ruksh, and returned to Seistan, leaving Persia to her fate.The king's wrath, however, soon gave place to fear; and recognizingthe danger of his throne unsupported by Rustum's valor, he despatchedmessengers to him with humble petitions and apologies. After muchprotesting, Rustum finally yielded and accompanied the Persian army,under the king Kai Kaoos, which at once set forth to encounter Sohrab.

The morning before the opening of hostilities, Sohrab, taking thePersian Hujir, whom he still held a prisoner, to the top of a rockyeminence, ordered him to point out the tents of the chief warriorsof the Persian army, particularly Rustum's. But Hujir, fearing lestSohrab should attack Rustum unexpectedly and so overcome him, declaredthat the great chieftain's tent was not among those on the plainbelow. Disappointed at his failure to find his father, Sohrab led hisarmy in a fierce onslaught on the Persians, driving them in confusionbefore him. In this dire extremity Kai Kaoos sent for Rustum, who wassomewhat apart from the main troop. Exclaiming that the king neversent for him except when he had got himself into trouble, the warriorarmed, mounted Ruksh, and rushed to the combat. By mutual consent thetwo champions withdrew to a retired spot, where, unmolested, theymight fight out their quarrel hand to hand. As they approached eachother, Rustum, moved with compassion by the youth of his foe, triedto dissuade Sohrab from his purpose, and counselled him to retire.Sohrab, filled with sudden hope,--an instinctive feeling that thefather whom he was seeking stood before him,--eagerly demanded whetherthis were Rustum. But Rustum, fearing treachery, said he was only anordinary man, having neither palace nor princely kingdom--not Rustum.

They marked off the lists, and, mounted on their powerful horses,fought first with javelins, then with swords, clubs, and bows andarrows. After several hours of fighting both were exhausted, and bytacit consent they retired to opposite sides of the lists for rest.When the combat was renewed, Sohrab gained a slight advantage. A trucewas then made for the night, and the warriors returned to their tentsto prepare for the morrow.

With daybreak the struggle was renewed. To prevent the armies fromintervening or engaging in battle, they were removed to a distance ofseveral miles. Midway between, Sohrab and Rustum met in the midst of alonely, treeless waste. More convinced than before that his adversarywas Rustum, Sohrab sought to bring about a reconciliation, but Rustumrefused. This time they fought on foot. From morning till afternoonthey fought, neither gaining any decided advantage. At last Sohrabsucceeded in felling Rustum to the earth, and was about to slay him,when the Persian called out that it was not the custom in chivalrouswarfare to slay a champion until he was thrown the second time.Sohrab, generous as brave, released his prostrate foe; and againfather and son parted. [154]

Rustum, scarcely believing himself alive after such an escape,purified himself with water, and prayed that his wounds might behealed and his accustomed strength restored to him. Never before hadhe been so beset in battle.

With morning came the renewal of the combat, both championsdetermining to end it that day. Late in the evening Rustum, by asupreme effort, seized Sohrab around the waist and hurled him to theground. Then, fearing lest the youth prove too strong for him in theend, he drew his blade and plunged it into Sohrab's bosom.

Sohrab forgave Rustum, but warned him to beware the vengeance of hisfather, the mighty Rustum, who must soon learn that he had slain hisson Sohrab. "I went out to seek my father," cried the dying youth,"for my mother had told me by what tokens I should know him, and Iperish for longing after him.... Yet I say unto thee, if thou shouldstbecome a fish that swimmeth in the depths of the ocean, if thoushouldst change into a star that is concealed in the farthest heaven,my father would draw thee forth from thy hiding-place, and avenge mydeath upon thee, when he shall learn that the earth is become my bed.For my father is Rustum the Pehliva, and it shall be told unto him,how that Sohrab his son perished in the quest after his face." Thesewords were as death to the aged hero, who fell senseless at the sideof his wounded son. When he had recovered he called in despair forproofs of what Sohrab had said. The now dying youth tore open his mailand showed his father the onyx which his mother had bound on his armas directed. [155]

The sight of his own signet rendered Rustum quite frantic; he cursedhimself, and would have put an end to his existence but for theefforts of his expiring son. After Sohrab's death he burnt his tentsand carried the corpse to his father's home in Seistan, and buriedit there. The Tartar army, agreeable to Sohrab's last request, waspermitted to return home unmolested. When the tidings of Sohrab'sdeath reached his mother, she was inconsolable, and died in less thana year.

In the main the story as told by Arnold follows the originalnarrative. A careful investigation of the alterations made, and theeffect thus produced, will lend added interest to the study of thepoem and give ample theme for composition work.

=1. And the first grey of morning fill'd the east.= Note the abruptopening. What is gained by its use? At what point in the story as toldin the introductory note does the poem take up the narrative? Be sureto get a clear mental picture of the initiative scene. _And_ is hereused in a manner common in the Scriptures. Cf. "And the Lord spakeunto Moses," etc.

=2. Oxus.= The chief river of Central Asia, which separated Turan fromIran or the Persian Empire, called Oxus by the Greeks and Romans, andthe Jihun or Amu by the Arabs and Persians. It takes its source inLake Sir-i-Kol, in the Pamir table-land, at a height of 15,600 feet,flows northwest, and empties into the Aral Sea on the south. Itslength is about 1300 miles.

"The introduction of the tranquil pictures of the Oxus, both at thebeginning and close of the poem (ll. 875-892), flowing steadily on,unmoved by the tragedy which has been enacted on her shore, forms oneof the most artistic features in the setting of the poem."

=3. Tartar camp.= The Tartars were nomadic tribes of Central Asia andsouthern Russia. The so-called Black Tartars, identified with theScythians of the Greek historians, inhabited the basin of the Aral andCaspian Seas, and are the tribe referred to in the poem. They are afierce, warlike people; hence our expression, "caught a Tartar." [156]=11. Peran-Wisa.= A celebrated Turanian chief, here in command ofAfrasiab's army, which was composed of representatives of many Tartartribes, as indicated in ll. 119-134.

=15. Pamere=, or Pamir. An extensive plateau region of Central Asia,called by the natives the "roof of the world." Among the rivers havingtheir source in this plateau are the Oxus, l. 2, and the Jaxartes, l.129.

=38. Afrasiab.= The king of the Tartars, and one of the principalheroes of the _Shah Nameh_, the Persian "Book of Kings." He is reputedto have been strong as a lion and to have had few equals as a warrior.

=40. Samarcand.= A city in the district of Serafshan, Turkestan, tothe east of Bokhara; now a considerable commercial and manufacturingcentre, and a centre of Mohammedan learning.

=42. Ader-baijan.= The northwest province of Persia, on the Turanianfrontier.

=45. At my boy's years.= See introductory note to poem.

=60. common fight.= In the sense of a general engagement. Be sure tocatch the reason why Sohrab makes his request.

=61. sunk.= That is, lost sight of.

=67. common chance.= See note, l. 60. Which would be the moredangerous, a "single" or "common" combat? Why?

=70. To find a father thou hast never seen.= See introductory note topoem.

=82. Seistan.= A province of southwest Afghanistan bordering on thePersian province of Yezd. It is intersected by the Helmund River (l.751), which flows into the Hamoon Lake, now scarcely more than amorass. On an island in this lake are ruins of fortifications calledFort Rustum. This territory was long held by Rustum's family,feudatory to the Persian kings. =Zal.= Rustum's father, ruler ofSeistan. See note, l. 232. [157]

=83-85. Whether that ... or in some quarrel=, etc. Either because hismighty strength ... or because of some quarrel, etc.

=86-91. There go!= etc. The touching solicitation of these lines iswholly Arnold's.

=99. Why ruler's staff, no sword?=

=101. Kara Kul.= A district some thirty miles southwest of Bokhara,noted for the excellence of its pasturage, and for its fleeces.

=107. Haman.= Next to Peran-Wisa in command of Tartar army. SeeHouman, in introductory note to poem.

=113-114. Casbin.= A fortified city in the province of Irak-Ajemi,Persia, situated on the main route from Persia to Europe, and at onetime the capital of the Iranian empire. Just to the north of the cityrise the =Elburz Mountains= (l. 114), which separate the PersianPlateau from the depression containing the Caspian and Aral Seas.

=115. frore.= Frozen, from the Anglo-Saxon _froren_.

"... the parching air Burns frore, and cold performs the effect of fire."

--MILTON. _Paradise Lost_, ll. 594-595, Book II.

=119. Bokhara.= Here the state of Bokhara, an extensive region ofCentral Asia, touching the Aral Sea to the north, the Oxus to thesouth, and Khiva to the west. It has an estimated area of 235,000square miles, and contains nineteen cities of considerable size, ofwhich the capital, Bokhara, is most important.

=120. Khiva.= A khanate situated in the valley of the lower Oxus,bordering Bokhara on the southeast. =ferment the milk of mares.= Anintoxicating drink, _Koumiss_, made of camel's or mare's milk, is inwide use among the steppe tribes. [158]=121. Toorkmuns.= A branch of the Turkish race found chiefly innorthern Persia and Afghanistan.

=122. Tukas.= From the province of Azer-baijan.

=123. Attruck.= A river of Khorassan, near the frontier of Khiva; ithas a west course, and enters the Caspian Sea on the east side.

=128. Ferghana.= A khanate of Turkestan, north of Bokhara, in theupper valley of the Sir Daria.

=129. Jaxartes.= The ancient name of the Sir Daria River. It takes itssource in the Thian Shan Mountains, one of the Pamir Plateau ranges,and flows with a general direction north, emptying into the Aral Seaon the east side.

=131. Kipchak.= A khanate some seventy miles below Khiva on the Oxus.

=132. Kalmucks.= A nomadic branch of the Mongolian race, dwelling inwestern Siberia. =Kuzzaks.= Now commonly called Cossacks; a warlikepeople inhabiting the steppes of southern Russia and extensiveportions of Asia. Their origin is uncertain.

=133. Kirghizzes.= A rude nomadic people of Mongolian-Tartar racefound in northern Turkestan.

=138. Khorassan.= (That is, the region of the sun.) A province ofnortheastern Persia, largely desert. The origin of the name is prettily suggested by Moore in the opening poem of _Lalla Rookh_:--

"In the delightful province of the sun The first of Persian lands he shines upon," etc.

=147. fix'd.= Stopped suddenly, halted.

=154-169.= Note the effect the challenge has on the two armies.

=156. corn.= Here used with its European sense of "grain." It is onlyin America that the word signifies Indian corn or "maize." [159]=160. Cabool.= Capital of northern Afghanistan, and an importantcommercial city.

=161. Indian Caucasus.= A lofty mountain range north of Cabool, whichforms the boundary between Turkestan and Afghanistan.

=173. King.= See note, l. 85.

=177. lion's heart.= Explain the line. Why are the terms here used soforcible in the mouth of Gudurz?

=178-183. Aloof he sits, etc.= One is reminded by Rustum's deportmenthere, of Achilles sulking in his tent and nursing his wrath againstAgamemnon.--_Iliad_, Book I.

=199. sate.= Old form of "sat," common in poetry.

=200. falcon.= A kind of hawk trained to catch game birds.

=217. Iran.= The official name of Persia.

=221. Go to!= Hebraic expression. Frequently found in Shakespeare.

=223. Kai Khosroo.= According to the _Shah Nameh_, the thirteenthTuranian king. He reigned in the sixth century B.C., and has beenidentified with Cyrus the Great.

=230. Not that one slight helpless girl, etc.= See ll. 609-611, alsointroduction to the poem.

=232. snow-haired Zal.= According to tradition, Zal was born withsnow-white hair. His father Lahm, believing this an ill omen, doomedthe unfortunate babe to be exposed on the loftiest summit of theElburz Mountains. The Simurgh, a great bird or griffin, found him andcared for him till grown, then restored him to his repentant parent.He subsequently married the Princess Rudabeh of Seistan, by whom hebecame father of Rustum.

=257. But I will fight unknown and in plain arms.= The shields andarms of the champions were emblazoned with mottoes and devices. Whydoes Rustum determine to lay aside his accustomed arms and fightincognito? What effect does this determination have upon the ultimateoutcome of the situation? Read the story of the arming of Achilles(Book XIX., Homer's _Iliad_), and compare with Rustum's preparationfor battle. [160]

=286. Bahrein= or Aval. A group of islands in the Persian Gulf,celebrated for its pearl fisheries.

=288. tale.= Beckoning, number.

"And every shepherd tells his _tale_, Under the hawthorn in the dale." --MILTON. _L'Allegro,_ ll. 67-68.

=306. flowers.= Decorates, beautifies with floral designs.

=311. perused.= Studied, observed closely.

=318.= In a letter dated November, 1852, Mr. Arnold speaks of thefigures in his poem as follows: "I can only say that I took a greatdeal of trouble to orientalize them, because I thought they lookedstrange, and jarred, if western." What is gained by their use?

=325. vast.= Large, mighty.

=326. tried.= Proved, experienced.

=328. Never was that field lost or that foe saved.= Note the powergained in this line by the use of the alliteration.

=330. Be govern'd.= Be influenced, persuaded.

=343. by thy father's head!= Such oaths are common to the extravagantspeech of the oriental peoples.

=344. Art thou not Rustum?= See introductory note to poem.

=367. vaunt.= Boast implied in the challenge.

=380. Thou wilt not fright me so!= That is, by such talk.

=401. tower'd.= Remained stationary, poised.

=406. full struck.= Struck squarely. [161]=412. Hyphasis, Hydaspes.= Two of the rivers of the Punjab in northernIndia, now known as the Beas and Jhylum. In 326 B.C. Alexanderdefeated Porus on the banks of the latter stream.

=481-486. for a cloud=, etc. A distinctly Homeric imitation. Cf. thecloud that enveloped Paris--Book III., ll. 465-469, of the _Iliad_.

=489. And the sun sparkled=, etc. Why this reference to the clear Oxusstream at this moment of intense tragedy?

=495. helm.= Helmet; defensive armor for the head.

=497. shore.= Past tense of _shear_, to cut.

=499. bow'd his head:= because of the force of the blow.

=508. curdled.= Thickened as with fear.

=516. Rustum!= Why did this word so affect Sohrab? Note the author'sskill in working up to this climax in the narrative.

=527-539. Then with a bitter smile=, etc. Compare these words ofthe victor, Rustum, with the words of Sohrab, ll. 427-447, when theadvantage was with him.

=536. glad.= Make happy.

"That which _gladded_ all the warrior train." --DRYDEN. [162]=538. Dearer to the red jackals=, etc. Cf. I. Sam. xvii. 44: "Come tome, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to thebeasts of the field." Careful investigation will show the poem toabound with Biblical as well as classical parallelisms.

=556-575. As when some hunter, etc.= One of the truly great similes inthe English language.

=563. sole.= Alone, solitary. From the Latin _solus_.

=570. glass.= Reflect as in a mirror.

=596. bruited up.= Noised abroad.

=613. the style.= The name or title.

=625. that old king.= The king of Semenjan. See introductory note topoem.

=632. Of age and looks=, etc. That is, of such age as he (Sohrab)would be, if born of his (Rustum's) union with Tahmineh.

=658-660. I tell thee, prick'd upon this arm=, etc. This is Arnold'sconception. In the original story Sohrab wore an onyx stone as anamulet. The onyx was supposed to incite the wearer to deeds of valor.

=664. corselet.= Protective armor for the body.

=673. cunning.= Skilful, deft.

=679. griffin.= In the natural history of the ancients, an imaginaryanimal, half lion and half eagle. Here the Simurgh. See note, l. 232.

=763-765. Moorghab, Tejend and Kohik.= Rivers of Turkestan which losethemselves in the deserts to the south of Bokhara. The northern Sir isthe Sir Daria, or Jaxartes. See note, l. 129.

=788. And heap a stately mound=, etc. Persian tradition says that alarge monument, in shape like the hoof of a horse, was placed over thespot where Sohrab was buried.

=830. on that day.= Shortly after the death of Afrasiab, the Persianmonarch Kai Khosroo, accompanied by a large number of his nobles, wentto a spring far to the north, the location fixed upon as a placefor their repose. Here the king died, and those who went with himafterward perished in a tempest. Sohrab predicted Rustum would be oneof those lost, but tradition does not have it so.

=861. Persepolis.= An ancient capital of Persia, the ruins of whichare known as "the throne of Jemshid," after a mythical king.

=878. Chorasma.= A region of Turkestan, the seat of a powerful empirein the twelfth century, but now greatly reduced. Its present limitsare about the same as those of Khiva. See note, l. 120.

=880. Right for the polar star.= That is, due north. =Orgunje.= Avillage on the Oxus some seventy miles below Khiva, and near the headof its delta.

=890. luminous home.= The Aral Sea.

=891. new bathed stars.= As the stars appear on the horizon, they seemto have come up out of the sea.

=875-892.= Discuss the poet's purpose in introducing the remarkableword-picture of these closing lines of the poem. See also note, ll.231-250, _The Scholar-Gipsy._

SAINT BRANDAN [164]

In this poem Arnold has vividly presented a quaint legend of JudasIscariot, popular in the Middle Ages. Saint Brandan (490-577) wasa celebrated Irish monk, famous for his voyages. "According to thelegendary accounts of his travels, he set sail with others to seek theterrestrial paradise which was supposed to exist in an island of theAtlantic. Various miracles are related of the voyage, but they arealways connected with the great island where the monks are said tohave landed. The legend was current in the time of Columbus andlong after, and many connected St. Brandan's island with the newlydiscovered America. He is commemorated on May 16."--_The CenturyCyclopedia of Names_.

=7. Hebrides.= A group of islands off the northwestern coast ofScotland.

=11. hurtling Polar lights.= A reference to the rapid, changingmovements of the Aurora Borealis.

=18. Of hair that red.= According to tradition, Judas Iscariot's hairwas red.

=21. sate.= See note, l. 199, _Sohrab and Rustum_. (Old form of "sat,"common in poetry.)

=38. The Leper recollect.= There is no scriptural authority for thisincident.

=40. Joppa=, or Jaffa. A small maritime town of Palestine--the ancientport of Jerusalem. There is also a small village called Jaffa inGalilee, some two miles southwest of Nazareth, which may have been theplace the poet had in mind.

Image the situation as presented in the first several stanzas. Whylocate in the sea without a "human shore," l. 12? Is there anyespecial reason for having the time Christmas night? Note the dramaticintroduction of Judas. What effect did his appearance have on thesaint? How was the latter reassured? Give reasons why Judas feltimpelled to tell his story. Tell the story. Does he praise or belittlehis act of charity? Why does he say "that _chance_ act of good"? Howwas it rewarded? Explain his last expression. Was he about to saymore? If so, what? What effect did Judas's story have on SaintBrandan? Why? What is the underlying thought in the poem? Discuss theform of verse used and its appropriateness to the theme. [165]

THE FORSAKEN MERMAN

"The title of this poem inevitably brings to mind Tennyson's twopoems, _The Merman_ and _The Mermaid_. A comparison will show that, inthis instance at least, the Oxford poet has touched his subject notless melodiously and with finer and deeper feeling.--Margaret will notlisten to her 'Children's voices, wild with pain';--dearer to her isthe selfish desire to save her own soul than is the light in the eyesof her little Mermaiden, dearer than the love of the king of the sea,who yearns for her with sorrow-laden heart. Here is there an infinitetenderness and an infinite tragedy." --L. DUPONT SYLE, _From Milton to Tennyson_.

Legends of this kind abound among the sea-loving Gaelic and Cymricpeople. Nowhere, perhaps, have they been given a more pleasing andtouching expression than in Arnold's poem. Note carefully the dramaticmanner in which the pathos of the story is presented and developed.

=6. wild white horses.= Breakers, whitecaps.

=13. Margaret.= A favorite name with Arnold. See _Isolation_ and _ADream_ in this volume.

=89-93. Hark ... sun.= In her song Margaret shows she is still keenlyalive to human interests, temporal and spiritual. The priest, bell,and holy well (l. 91) symbolize the church, here Roman Catholic. Thebell is used in the Roman Church to call especial attention to themore important portions of the service; the well is the holy-waterfont.

=129. heaths starr'd with broom.= The flower of the broom plant,common in England, is yellow; hence, _starr'd_.

In his work on Matthew Arnold, George Saintsbury speaks of this poemas follows: "It is, I believe, not so 'correct' as it once was toadmire this [poem]; but I confess indocility to correctness, at leastthe correctness which varies with fashion. _The Forsaken Merman_ isnot a perfect poem--it has _tongueurs_, though it is not long; it hasits inadequacies, those incompetences of expression which are so oddlycharacteristic of its author; and his elaborate simplicity, thoughmore at home here than in some other places, occasionally gives adissonance. But it is a great poem,--one by itself,--one which findsand keeps its own place in the fore-ordained gallery or museum, withwhich every true lover of poetry is provided, though he inherits it bydegrees. None, I suppose, will deny its pathos; I should be sorry forany one who fails to perceive its beauty. The brief picture of theland, and the fuller one of the sea, and that (more elaborate still)of the occupations of the fugitive, all have their charm. But thetriumph of the piece is in one of those metrical coups, which givethe triumph of all the greatest poetry, in the sudden change from theslower movements of the earlier stanzas, or strophes, to the quickersweep of the famous conclusions." [167]What is the opening situation in the poem? Have the merman and hischildren just reached the shore, or have they been there some time?Why so? Why does the merman still linger, when he is convinced thatfurther delay will count for nothing? Why does he urge the children tocall? What is shown by his repeated question--"was it yesterday"? Tellthe story of Margaret's departure for the upper world, and discuss thevalidity of her reason for going. Do you think she intended to return?What is the significance of her smile just before departing? Givea word picture of what the sea-folk saw as they lingered in thechurchyard. Will Margaret ever grieve for the past? If so, when? Why?Who has your sympathy most, Margaret, the forsaken merman, or thechildren? Why? Do you condemn Margaret for the way she has done, or doyou feel she was justified in her actions? Discuss the versification,giving special attention to its effect on the movement of the poem.

TRISTRAM AND ISEULT

The story of Tristram and Iseult is one of the most vivid andpassionate of the Arthurian cycle of legends, and is a favorite withthe poets. The following version is abridged from Dunlop's _History ofFiction_.

"In the court of his uncle, King Marc, the king of Cornwall, who atthis time resided at the castle of Tyntagel, Tristram became expertin all knightly exercises.... The king of Ireland, at Tristram'ssolicitation, promised to bestow his daughter Iseult in marriage onKing Marc.... The mother of Iseult gave to her daughter's confidantea philtre, or love-potion, to be administered on the night of hernuptials. Of this beverage Tristram and Iseult unfortunately partook.Its influence, during the remainder of their lives, regulated theaffections and destiny of the lovers. [168]"After the arrival of Tristram and Iseult in Cornwall, and thenuptials of the latter with King Marc, a great part of the romanceis occupied with their contrivances to procure secret interviews ...Tristram, being forced to leave Cornwall on account of the displeasureof his uncle, repaired to Brittany, where lived Iseult with the WhiteHands. He married her, more out of gratitude than love. Afterwardshe proceeded to the dominions of Arthur which became the theatre ofunnumbered exploits.

"Tristram, subsequent to these events, returned to Brittany and tohis long-neglected wife. There, being wounded and sick, he was soonreduced to the lowest ebb. In this situation he despatched a confidantto the queen of Cornwall to try if he could induce her to follow himto Brittany.

"Meanwhile Tristram awaited the arrival of the queen with suchimpatience that he employed one of his wife's damsels to watch at theharbor. Through her, Iseult learned Tristram's secret, and filled withjealousy, flew to her husband as the vessel which bore the queen ofCornwall was wafted toward the harbor, and reported that the sailswere black (the signal that Iseult, Marc's queen, had refusedTristram's request to come to him). Tristram, penetrated withinexpressible grief, died. The account of Tristram's death was thefirst intelligence which the queen of Cornwall heard on landing. Shewas conducted to his chamber, and expired holding him in her arms."

=1. Is she not come?= That is, Iseult of Ireland. Arnold's poem takesup the story at the point where Tristram, now on his death-bed, iswatching eagerly for the coming of Iseult, Marc's queen, for whom hehad sent his confidant to Cornwall. Evidently he has just awakenedand is still somewhat confused; see l. 7. Surely none will fail toappreciate so dramatic a situation.

=5. What ... be?= That is, what lights are those to the northward, thedirection from which Iseult would come? [169]=8. Iseult.= Here Iseult of the White Hands, daughter of King Hoel ofBrittany and wife of Tristram.

=20. Arthur's court.= Arthur, the half-mythical king of the Britons,set up his court at Camelot, which Caxton locates in Wales and Malorynear Winchester. Here was gathered the famous company of championsknown as the "Knights of the Round Table," whose feats have beenextensively celebrated in song and story. Among these knights Tristramheld high rank, both as a warrior and a harpist. See ll. 17-19.

=23. Lyoness.= A mythical region near Cornwall, the home country ofArthur and Tristram.

=30-31.= Hence the name, Iseult of the White Hands.

=56-68.= See introductory note to poem for explanation. =Tyntagel.=A village in Cornwall near the sea. Near it is the ruined TyntagelCastle, the reputed birthplace of Arthur. In the romance of SirTristram it is the castle of King Marc, the cowardly and treacherousking of Cornwall, the southwest county of England. =teen=. See note,l. 147, _The Scholar-Gipsy_. (Grief, sorrow; from the old English_teona_, meaning injury.)

=88. wanders=, in fancy. Note how the wounded knight's mind flits fromscene to scene, always centring around Iseult of Ireland.

=91. O'er ... sea.= The Irish Sea. He is dreaming of his return tripfrom Ireland with Iseult, "under the cloudless sky of May" (l. 96).

=134. on loud Tyntagel's hill.= A high headland on the coast of Wales.Discuss the force of the adjective "loud" in this connection.

=137-160. And that ... more.= See introductory note to poem.

=161. pleasaunce-walks.= A pleasure garden, screened by trees, shrubs,and close hedges--here a trysting-place. After the marriage ofIseult to King Marc, she and Tristram contrived to continue theirrelationship in secret. [170]

=164. fay.= Faith. (Obsolete except in poetry.)

=180.= Tristram, having been discovered by King Marc in his intrigueswith Iseult, was forced to leave Cornwall; hence his visit to Brittanyand subsequent marriage to Iseult of the White Hands. See introductorynote to poem.

=192. lovely orphan child.= Iseult of Brittany.

=194. chatelaine.= From the French, meaning the mistress of achateau--a castle or fortress.

=200. stranger-knight, ill-starr'd.= That is, Tristram, whose manymishaps argued his being born under an unlucky star. See also theaccount of his birth, note, ll. 81-88, Part II.

=203. Launcelot's guest at Joyous Gard.= Prior to his visit toBrittany, Tristram had imprisoned his uncle, King Marc, and elopedwith Iseult to the domains of King Arthur. While there he residedat Joyous Gard, the favorite castle of Launcelot, which that knightassigned to the lovers as their abode.

=204. Welcomed here.= That is, in Brittany, where he was nursed backto health by Iseult of the White Hands. See introductory note to poem.

=215-226. His long rambles ... ground.= Account for Tristram'sdiscontent, as indicated in these lines.

=234-237. All red ... bathed in foam.= The kings of Britain agreedwith Arthur to make war upon Rome. Arthur, leaving Modred in chargeof his kingdom, made war upon the Romans, and, after a numberof encounters, Lucius Tiberius was killed and the Britons werevictorious.--GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH, Book IV, Chapter XV; Book X,Chapters I-XIII. According to Malory, Arthur captured many French andItalian cities (see ll. 250-251); during this continental invasion,and was finally crowned king at Rome. It seems that he afterwarddespatched a considerable number of his knights to carry the Christianfaith among the heathen German tribes. See ll. 252-253. [171]

=238. moonstruck knight.= A reference to the mystical influence theancients supposed the moon to exert over men's minds and actions.

=239. What foul fiend rides thee?= What evil spirit possesses you andkeeps you from the fight?

=308-314. My princess ... good night.= Are Tristram's words sincere,or has he a motive in thus dismissing Iseult?

=373-374.= From a dramatic standpoint, what is the purpose of thesetwo lines?

PART II

With the opening of Part II the lovers are restored to each other.The dying Tristram, worn with fever and impatient with long waiting,unjustly charges Iseult with cruelty for not having come to him withgreater haste. Her gentle, loving words, however, quickly dispel hisdoubts as to her loyalty to her former vows. A complete reconciliationtakes place, and they die in each other's embrace. The picture of theHuntsman on the arras is one of the most notable in English poetry.

=81-88=. Tristram was born in the forest, where his mother Isabella,sister to King Marc, had gone in search of her recreant husband.

=97-100=. Tennyson, in _The Last Tournament_, follows Malory in thestory of Tristram's and Iseult's death. "That traitor, King Mark, slewthe noble knight, Sir Tristram, as he sat harping before his lady,La Beale Isoud, with a trenchant glaive, for whose death was muchbewailing of every knight that ever was in Arthur's days ... and LaBeale Isoud died swooning upon the cross of Sir Tristram, whereof wasgreat pity."--Malory's _Morte d' Arthur._

=113. sconce=. Consult dictionary.

=116-122=. Why this restlessness on the part of Iseult? Why herfrequent glances toward the door?

=147-193=. For the poet's purpose in introducing the remarkableword-picture of these lines, see notes on the Tyrian trader, ll.231-250, 232, _The Scholar-Gipsy._

PART III

After the death of Tristram and Iseult of Ireland, our thoughtsinevitably turn to Iseult of the White Hands. The infinite pathos ofher life has aroused our deepest sympathy, and we naturally want toknow further concerning her and Tristram's children.

=13. cirque=. A circle (obsolete or poetical). See l. 7, Part III.

=18. holly-trees and juniper=. Evergreen trees common in Europe andAmerica. [173]=22. fell-fare= (or field-fare). A small thrush found in NorthernEurope.

=26. stagshorn.= A common club-moss.

=37. old-world Breton history.= That is, the story of Merlin andVivian, ll. 153-224, Part III.

=79-81=. Compare with the following lines from Wordsworth's_Michael_:--

"This light was famous in its neighborhood. ... For, as it chanced, Their cottage on a plot of rising ground Stood single.... And from this constant light so regular And so far seen, the House itself, by all Who dwelt within the limits of the vale ... was named _The Evening Star_."

=81. iron coast.= This line inevitably calls to mind a stanza fromTennyson's _Palace of Art_:--

"One show'd an iron coast and angry waves. You seemed to hear them climb and fall And roar, rock-thwarted, under bellowing caves, Beneath the windy wall."

=92. prie-dieu.= Praying-desk. From the French _prier_, pray; _dieu_,God.

=97. seneschal.= A majordomo; a steward. Originally meant _old_ (thatis, _chief) servant_; from the Gothic _sins_, old, and _salks_, aservant.--SKEAT.

=134. gulls.= Deceives, tricks.

"The vulgar, _gulled_ into rebellion, armed," --DRYDEN.

=140.= posting here and there. That is, restlessly changing from placeto place and from occupation to occupation.

=143-145. Like that bold Caesar=, etc. Julius Caesar (100?-44 B.C.).The incident here alluded to Is mentioned in Suetonius' _Life of theDeified Julius_, Chapter VII. "Farther Spain fell to the lot of Caesaras questor. When, at the command of the Roman people, he was holdingcourt and had come to Cadiz, he noticed in the temple of Hercules astatue of Alexander the Great. At sight of this statue he sighed,as if disgusted at his own lack of achievement, because he had donenothing of note by the time in life (Caesar was then thirty-two) thatAlexander had conquered the world." (Free translation.) [174]

=146-150. Prince Alexander, etc.= Alexander III., surnamed "TheGreat" (356-323 B.C.), was the most famous of Macedonian generals andconquerors, and the first in order of time of the four most celebratedcommanders of whom history makes mention. In less than fifteen yearshe extended his domain over the known world and established himself asthe universal emperor. He died at Babylon, his capital city, at theage of thirty-three, having lamented that there were no more worldsfor him to conquer. (For the boundaries of his empire, see any map ofhis time.) Pope spoke of him as "The youth who all things but himselfsubdued." =Soudan= (l. 149). An obsolete term for Sultan, the Turkishruler.

=153-224=. The story of Merlin, King Arthur's court magician, and theenchantress Vivian is one of the most familiar of the Arthurian cycleof legends. =Broce-liande= (l. 156). In Cornwall. See l. 61, PartI. =fay= (l. 159). Fairy, =empire= (l. 184). That is, power; heresupernatural power. =wimple= (l. 220). A covering for the head. =IsMerlin prisoner=, etc. (l. 223). Merlin, the magician, is thusentrapped by means of a charm he had himself communicated to hismistress, the enchantress Vivian. Malory has Merlin imprisoned under arock; Tennyson, in an oak:--

"And in the hollow oak he lay as dead And lost to life and use and name and fame." --_Merlin and Vivian_. [175]=224=. For she was passing weary, etc.

"And she was ever passing weary of him." --MALORY.

PART I. What is the opening situation in the poem? Why have it astormy night? What does Tristram's question (l. 7) reveal of hiscondition physically and mentally? What is the office of the partsof the poem coming between the intervals of conversation? How is thewounded knight identified? How the lady? Follow the wanderings of thesleeping Tristram's mind. Are the incidents he speaks of in the orderof their occurrence? Explain ll. 102-103; ll. 161-169. Tell the storyof Tristram and Iseult of the White Hands. What is shown by the factthat Tristram's mind dwells on Iseult of Ireland even at the time ofbattle? How account for his wanderings? For his morose frame of mind?What change has come over nature when Tristram awakes? Why thischange? What is his mood now? Account for his addressing Iseult ofBrittany as he does. Why his order for her to retire? What is herattitude toward him? Note the manner in which the children areintroduced into the story (ll. 324-325) PART II. Give the openingsituation. Discuss the meeting of Tristram and Iseult. What isrevealed by their conversation? What is the purpose in introducing theHuntsman on the arras? PART III. What is the purpose of ll. 1-4? Givethe opening situation in Part III. How is Iseult trying to entertainher children? What kind of a life does she lead? Discuss ll. 112-150as to meaning and connection with the theme of the poem. Tell thestory of Merlin and Vivian. Why introduced? Compare Arnold's versionof the story of Tristram and Iseult with the version given in theintroductory note to the poem.

[176]THE CHURCH OF BROU

I. THE CASTLE

The church of Brou is actually located in a treeless Burgundian plain,and not in the mountains, as stated by the poet.

=1. Savoy=. A mountainous district in eastern France; formerly one ofthe divisions of the Sardinian States.

This poem, one of Arnold's best-known shorter lyrics, combines withperfect taste, simplicity and elegance, with the truest pathos. It hasbeen said there is not a false note in it.

=13. cabin'd=. Used in the sense of being cramped for space.

=16. vasty=. Spacious, boundless.

What is the significance of strewing on the roses? Why "never a sprayof yew"? (See note, l.140, _The Scholar-Gipsy.)_ What seems to be theauthor's attitude toward death? (Read his poem, _A Wish_.) Discuss thepoem as to its lyrical qualities.

CONSOLATION

=14. Holy Lassa= (that is, Land of the Divine Intelligence), thecapital city of Thibet and residence of the Dalai, or Grand Lama, thepontifical sovereign of Thibet and East Asia. Here is located thegreat temple of Buddha, a vast square edifice, surmounted by a gildeddome, the temple, together with its precincts, covering an area ofmany acres. Contiguous to it, on its four sides, are four celebratedmonasteries, occupied by four thousand recluses, and resorted to asschools of the Buddhic religion and philosophy. There is, perhaps, noother one place in the world where so much gold is accumulated forsuperstitious purposes.

=17. Muses.= See note, l. 120, _The Strayed Reveller_.

=18. In their cool gallery=. That is, in the Vatican art gallery atRome.

=19. yellow Tiber.= So called by the ancients because of theyellowish, muddy appearance of its waters. [178]=21. Strange unloved uproar.= At the time this poem waswritten,--1849,--the French army was besieging Rome.

=23. Helicon.= High mountain in Boeotia, legendary home of theMuses.

=32. Erst.= See note, l. 32, _The Scholar-Gipsy_.

=48. Destiny.= That is, Fate, the goddess of human destiny.

In what mood is the author at the opening of the poem? How does heseek consolation? How does the calm of the Muses affect him? Can yousee how he might find help in dwelling on the pictures of the blindbeggar and happy lovers? What is the final thought of the poem? Canyou think of any other poem that has this as its central thought? Whatdo you think of the author's philosophy of life as set forth in thispoem? Discuss the verse form used.

LINES

WRITTEN IN KENSINGTON GARDENS

The Kensington Gardens form one of the many beautiful public parks ofLondon. They are located in the Kensington parish, a western suburb ofthe city, lying north of the Thames and four miles west-southwest ofSt. Paul's. In his poem Arnold contrasts the serenity of naturewith the restlessness of modern life. "Not Lucan, not Vergil,only Wordsworth, has more beautifully expressed the spirit ofPantheism."--HERBERT W. PAUL.

=24. Was breathed on by rural Pan.= Note Arnold's classic way ofaccounting for his great love for nature, Pan being the nature god.See note, l. 67, _The Strayed Reveller_. [179]=37-42.= Compare the thought here presented with the following lines from Wordsworth:--

"These beauteous forms, ... have not been to me As is a landscape to a blind man's eye. But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din Of towns and cities, I have owed to them, ... sensations sweet Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart; And passing even into my purer mind, With tranquil restoration."

Read also Wordsworth's _Lines to the Daffodil_.

What is the dominant mood of the poem? What evidently brought it tothe author's mind? How does he show his interest in nature? In humanbeings? What inspiration does the author seek from nature, ll. 37-42?Explain the meaning of the last two lines.

THE STRAYED REVELLER

"I have such a love for these forms and this old Greek world, thatperhaps I infuse a little soul into my dealings with them, which savesme from being entirely _ennuyx_, professorial and pedantic." (MatthewArnold, in a letter to his sister, dated February, 1858.)

Circe, according to Greek mythology, was an enchantress, who dwelt inthe island of AEaea, and who possessed the power to transform meninto beasts. (See any mythological text on Ulysses' wanderings.) InArnold's fantastic, visionary poem, the magic potion, by which thistransformation is accomplished, affects not the body, but the mind ofthe youth.

=38. Iacchus.= In the Eleusinian mysteries, Bacchus bore the name ofIacchus. =fane.= A temple. From the Latin _fanum_, a place of worshipdedicated to any deity.

=48. The lions sleeping.= As Ulysses' companions approached Circe'spalace, following their landing on her island, they found themselves"surrounded by lions, tigers, and wolves, not fierce but tamed byCirce's art, for she was a powerful magician."

=67. Pan's flute music!= Pan, the god of pastures and woodlands,was the inventor of the syrinx, or shepherd's flute, with which heaccompanied himself and his followers in the dance.

=71. Ulysses.= The celebrated hero of the Trojan war; also famous forhis wanderings. One of his chief adventures, on his return voyage fromTroy, was with the enchantress Circe, with whom he tarried a year,forgetful of his faithful wife, Penelope, at home.

=72. Art.= That is, are you. (Now used only in solemn or poeticstyle.)

=73. range.= Wander aimlessly about.

=74. See what the day brings.= That is, the youth. See ll. 24-52

=81. Nymphs.= Goddesses of the mountains, forests, meadows, or waters,belonging to the lower rank of deities.

=102-107.= Compare in thought with Tennyson's poem, _Ulysses_.

=110. The favour'd guest of Circe.= Ulysses. See note, l. 71.

=120. Muses.= Daughters of Jupiter and Minemosyne, nine in number.According to the earliest writers the Muses were only the inspiringgoddesses of song; but later they were looked to as the divinitiespresiding over the different kinds of poetry, and over the arts andsciences. [181]=130-135.= Note the poet's device for presenting a series of mentalpictures. Compare with Tennyson's plan in his _Palace of Art_. DoesArnold's plan seem more or less mechanical than Tennyson's?

=135-142. Tiresias.= The blind prophet of =Thebes= (l. 142), the chiefcity in Boeotia, near the river =Asopus= (l. 138). In his youth,Tiresias unwittingly came upon Athene while she was bathing, and waspunished by the loss of sight. As a recompense for this misfortune,the goddess afterward gave him knowledge of future events. Theinhabitants of Thebes looked to Tiresias for direction in times ofwar.

=143. Centaurs.= Monsters, half man, half horse.

=145. Pelion.= A mountain in eastern Thessaly, famous in Greekmythology. In the war between the giants and the gods, the former, intheir efforts to scale the heavens, piled Ossa upon Olympus and Pelionupon Ossa.

=151-161.= What in these lines enables you to determine the people andcountry alluded to?

=162-167. Scythian ... embers.= The ancient Greek term for the nomadictribes inhabiting the whole north and northeast Europe and Asia. Asa distinct people they built no cities, and formed no generalgovernment, but wandered from place to place by tribes, in their rude,covered carts (see l. 164), living upon the coarsest kind of food (ll.166-167).

=197. milk-barr'd onyx-stones.= A reference to the white streaks, orbars, common to the onyx.

=206. Happy Islands.= Mythical islands lying far to the west, theabode of the heroes after death.

=220. Hera's anger.= Hera (or Juno), wife to Jupiter, was noted forher violent temper and jealousy. She is here represented as visitingpunishment upon the bard, perhaps out of jealousy of the gods who hadendowed him with poetic power, and his life, thus afflicted, seemslengthened to seven ages. [182]

=228-229. Lapithae.= In Greek legends, a fierce Thessalian race,governed by Pirothous, a half-brother to the Centaurs. =Theseus.= Thechief hero of Attica, who, according to tradition, united the severaltribes of Attica into one state, with Athens as the capital. His lifewas filled with adventure. The reference here is to the time of themarriage of Pirothous and Hippodamia, on which occasion the Centaurs,who were among the guests, became intoxicated, and offered indignitiesto the bride. In the fight that followed, Theseus joined with theLapithae, and many of the Centaurs were slain.

=231. Alcmena's dreadful son.= Hercules. On his expedition to capturethe Arcadian boar, his third labor, Hercules became involved in abroil with the Centaurs, and in self-defence slew several of them withhis arrows.

=245. Oxus stream.= See note, l. 2, _Sohrab and Rustum_.

=254. Heroes.= The demigods of mythology.

=257. Troy.= The capital of Troas, Asia Minor; the seat of the Trojan war.

=254-260.= Shortly after the close of the Trojan war, a party ofheroes from all parts of Greece, many of whom had participated in theexpeditions against Thebes and Troy, set out under the leadership ofJason to capture the Golden Fleece. Leaving the shores of Thessaly,the adventurers sailed eastward and finally came to the entrance ofthe =Euxine Sea= (the =unknown sea=, l. 260), which was guarded bythe Clashing Islands. Following the instructions of the sage Phineus,Jason let fly a dove between the islands, and at the moment ofrebound the expedition passed safely through. The ship in which theadventurers sailed was called the Argo, after its builder, Argus;hence our term Argonauts. [183]=261. Silenus.= A divinity of Asiatic origin; foster-father to Bacchusand leader of the =Fauns= (l. 265), satyr-like divinities, half man,half goat, sometimes represented in art as hearing torches (l. 274).

=275. Maenad.= A bacchante,--a priestess or votary of Bacchus.

=276. Faun with torches.= See note, l. 261.

What is the situation at the beginning of the poem? What effect doesthe "liquor" have upon the youth? Why is the presence of Ulysses somuch in harmony with the situation? How does he greet Circe; how theyouth? What does his presence suggest to the latter? Why? Note thevividness of the pictures he describes; also the swiftness with whichhe changes from one to another. What power is ascribed to the poet?Why his "pain"? What effect is gained by closing the poem with thesame words with which it is opened? Why the irregular verse used?

DOVER BEACH

In this poem is expressed the peculiar turn of Arnold's mind, at oncereligious and sceptical, philosophical and emotional. It is one of hismost passionate interpretations of life.

=15. Sophocles= (495-406 B.C.). One of the three great tragic poets ofGreece. His rivals were AEschylus (526-456 B.C.) and Euripides (486-406B.C.).

=16. AEgean Sea.= See note, l. 236, _The Scholar-Gipsy_.

* * * * *

Image the scene in the opening stanzas. What is the author's mood?Why does he call some one to look on the scene with him? What is the"eternal note of sadness"? Why connect it in thought with the sea? Whydoes this thought suggest Sophocles? What thought next presents itselfto the author's mind? From what source must one's help and comfortthen be drawn? Why so? Why the irregular versification? State thetheme of the poem. [184]

PHILOMELA

"Philomela unites the sensibilities and intellectual experience ofmodern Englishmen with the luminousness and simplicity of Greekpoetry."--SAINTSBURY.

The myth of the nightingale has long been a favorite with the poets,who have variously interpreted the bird's song. See Coleridge's,Keats's, and Wordsworth's poems on the subject. The most commonversion of the myth, the one followed by Arnold, is as follows:--

"Pandion (son of Erichthonius, special ward to Minerva) had twodaughters, Procne and Philomela, of whom he gave the former inmarriage to Tereus, king of Thrace (or of Daulis in Phocis). Thisruler, after his wife had borne him a son, Itys (or Itylus), weariedof her, plucked out her tongue by the roots to insure her silence,and, pretending that she was dead, took in marriage the other sister,Philomela. Procne, by means of a web, into which she wove her story,informed Philomela of the horrible truth. In revenge upon Tereus, thesisters killed Itylus, and served up the child as food to the father;but the gods, in indignation, transformed Procne into a swallow,Philomela into a nightingale, forever bemoaning the murdered Itylus,and Tereus into a hawk, forever pursuing the sisters."--GAYLEY'S_Classic Myths_.

=4.= Use the subjoined questions in studying the poem.

=5. O wanderer from a Grecian shore.= See note, l. 27.

=8.= Note the aptness and beauty of the adjectives in this line, notone of which could be omitted without irreparable loss.

=18. Thracian wild.= Thrace was the name used by the early Greeks forthe entire region north of Greece. [185]=21. The too clear web=, etc. See introductory note to poem forexplanation of this and the following lines.

=27. Daulis.= A city of Phocis, Greece, twelve miles northeast ofDelphi; the scene of the myth of Philomela. =Cephessian vale.= Thevalley of the Cephissus, a small stream running through Doris, Phocis,and Boeotia, into the Euboean Gulf.

=29. How thick the bursts=, etc. Compare with the following lines from Coleridge:--

"'Tis the merry nightingale That crowds and hurries and precipitates With fast, thick warble his delicious notes, As he were fearful that an April night Would be too short for him to utter forth His love-chant, and disburthen his full soul Of all its music!" --_The Nightingale_.

Also

"O Nightingale! thou surely art A creature of a 'fiery heart':-- These notes of thine--they pierce and pierce; Tumultuous harmony and fierce! Thou sing'st as if the god of wine Had helped thee to a Valentine." --WORDSWORTH.

Image the scene in the poem. How does the author secure the properatmosphere for the theme of the poem? Account for the note of triumphin the nightingale's song; note of pain. What is shown by the poet'squestion, ll. 10-15? What new qualities are added to the nightingale'ssong, l. 25? Account for them. Why _eternal_ passion, _eternal_ pain?Do you feel the form of verse used (Pindaric blank) to be adapted tothe theme? [186]

What important incident in the destiny of the soul is alluded to instanza 1? Interpret ll. 13-14, and apply to your own experience. Whycannot we live "chance's fool"? Is there any hint of fatalism in thepoem, or are we held accountable for our own destiny?

ISOLATION

TO MARGUERITE, ON RETURNING A VOLUME OF THE LETTERS OF ORTIS

This poem, the fifth in a loosely connected group of lyrics, under thegeneral name _Switzerland_, is a continuation of the precedingpoem, _Isolation--to Marguerite_, and is properly entitled, _ToMarguerite--Continued_. When printed separately, the above title isused.

Jacopo Ortis was a pseudonym of the Italian poet, Ugo Foscolo. His_Ultime Lettere di Ortis_ was translated into the English in 1818.

[187]=1. Yes!= Used in answer to the closing thought of the preceding poem.

=7. moon.= Note the frequency with which reference to the moon, withits light effects, appears in Arnold's lines. Can you give any reasonfor this?

=24.= Mr. Herbert W. Paul, commenting on this line, says: "_Isolation_winds up with one of the great poetic phrases of the century--one ofthe 'jewels five (literally five) words long' of English verse--aphrase complete and final, with epithets in unerring cumulation."

Give the poem's theme. To what is each individual likened? Discuss l.2as to meaning. In what sense do we live "alone," l.4? Why "endlessbounds," l.6? How account for the feeling of despair, l.13? Answer thequestions asked in the last stanza. In what frame of mind does thepoem leave you?

KAISER DEAD

APRIL 6, 1887

Arnold's love for animals, especially his household pets, was mostsincere. Despite the playful irony of his poem, there is in the minorkey an undertone of genuine sorrow. "We have just lost our dear, dearmongrel, Kaiser," he wrote in a letter dated from his home in Cobham,Kent, April 7, 1887, "and we are very sad." The poem was written thefollowing July, and was published in the _Fortnightly Review_ for thatmonth.

=2. Cobham.= See note above.

=3. Farringford,= in the Isle of Wight, was the home of Lord Tennyson.

=20. Potsdam.= The capital of the government district of Potsdam, inthe province of Brandenburg, Prussia; hence the dog's name, _Kaiser_.

=41. the Grand Old Man.= Gladstone.

=50. agog.= In a state of eager excitement.

=65. Geist.= Also remembered in a poem entitled _Geist's Grave_,included in this volume.

=76. chiel.= A Scotch word meaning lad, fellow.

"Buirdly _chiels_ an clever hizzies." --BURNS, _The Twa Dogs_.

=Skye.= The largest of the Inner Hebrides. See note, l. 7, _SaintBrandan_.

THE LAST WORD

In this poem Arnold describes the plight of one engaged in a hopelessstruggle against an uncompromising, Philistine world too strong forhim.

State the central thought in the poem. To whom is it addressed? Whatis the _narrow bed_, l. 1? Why give up the struggle? With whom has itbeen waged? Explain fully l. 4. What is implied in l. 6? What is meantby _ringing shot_, l. 11? Who are the victors, l. 14? What would theyprobably say on finding the body near the wall? Can you think of anyhistorical characters of whom the poem might aptly have been written?

[189]PALLADIUM

At the time of the Trojan war there was in the citadel of Troy acelebrated statue of Pallas Athene, called the Palladium. It wasreputed to have fallen from heaven as the gift of Zeus, and the beliefwas that the city could not be taken so long as this statue remainedwithin it. Ulysses and Diomedes, two of the Greek champions, succeededin entering the city in disguise, stole the Palladium and carried itoff to the besiegers' camp at Argos. It was some time, however, beforethe city fell.

=1. Simois.= A small river of the Troad which takes its rise in therocky, wooded eminence which, according to Greek tradition, formedthe acropolis of Troy. The Palladium was set up on its banks near itssource, in a temple especially erected for it (l. 6), and from thislofty position was supposed to watch over the safety of the city andher defenders on the plains below.

=3. Hector.= Hector, son of Priam, king of Troy (Ilium), and hiswife, Hecuba, was the leader and champion of the Trojan armies. Hedistinguished himself in numerous single combats with the ablest ofthe Greek heroes; and to him was principally due the stubborn defenceof the Trojan capital. He was finally slain by Achilles, aided byAthene, and his body dragged thrice around the walls of Troy behindthe chariot of his conqueror.

=14. Xanthus.= The Scamander, the largest and most celebrated river ofthe Troad, near which Troy was situated, was presided over by a deityknown to the gods as Xanthus. His contest with Achilles, whom he sonearly overwhelmed, forms a notable incident of the _Iliad_.

=15. Ajax, or Aiax.= One of the leading Greek heroes in the siege ofTroy, famous for his size, physical strength, and beauty. In braveryand feats of valor he was second only to Achilles. Not being awardedthe armor of Achilles after that hero's death, he slew himself. [190]=16.= Helen, the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta, was celebrated forher beauty, by reason of which frequent references are made to her byboth classic and modern writers. Goethe introduces her in the secondpart of _Faust_, and Faustus, in Marlowe's play of that name,addresses her thus:--

"Oh! thou art fairer than the evening air Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars."

Her abduction by Paris, son of Priam (see note, l. 3), was the causeof the Trojan war, the most notable incident of Greek mythology, whichforms the theme of Homer's greatest poem, the _Iliad_.

What is the central thought of the poem? Of what is the Palladiumtypical? Explain the thought in stanza 3. What is the force of thereferences of stanza 4? Discuss the use of the words "rust" and"shine," l. 17. Just what is meant by "soul" as the word is used inthe poem?

SELF-DEPENDENCE

_Self-Dependence_ is a poem in every respect characteristic of itsauthor. In it Arnold exhorts mankind to seek refuge from humantroubles in the example of nature.

Picture the situation in the poem. What is the poet's mood as shownin the opening stanzas? From what source does he seek aid? Why? Whatanswer does he receive? What is the source of nature's repose? Whereand how must the human soul find its contentment?

[191]GEIST'S GRAVE

This poem appeared in the January number of the _Fortnightly Review_for 1881.

=12. homily.= Sermon.

=15. the Virgilian cry.= _Sunt lacrimae rerum!_ These words areinterpreted in the following line.

=42. On lips that rarely form them now.= Arnold wrote but littlepoetry after 1867.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) was a celebrated German dramatistand critic. For a time he studied theology at Leipsic, then turned hisattention to the stage, and later to criticism. His greatest criticalwork (1766) is a treatise on Art, the famous Greek statuary group,the Laocooen, which gives the work its name, forming the basis for acomparative discussion of Sculpture, Poetry, Painting, and Music.

=1. Hyde Park.= The largest park in London, and the principalrecreation ground of that city.

=15. Phoebus-guarded ground.= Greece. Phoebus, a name often givenApollo, the sun god.

=16. Pausanias.= A noted Greek geographer and writer on art who livedin the second century. "His work, _The Gazetteer of Hellas_, is ourbest repertory of information for the topography, local history,religious observances, architecture, and sculpture of the differentstates of Greece."--K.O. MUeLLER, _History of the Literature of AncientGreece_. [192]=21-22. Dante= (1265-1321), =Petrarch= (1304-1374), =Tasso= (1544-;1595), =Ariosto= (1475-1533). Celebrated Italian poets.

=25. Raphael= (1483-1520). The famous Italian painter.

=29. Goethe= (1749-1832). The greatest name in German literature.His works include poetry, dramas, and criticisms. =Wordsworth=(1770-1850). See the poem, _Memorial Verses_, of this volume.

=43-48.= Cyclops Polyphemus, famous in the story of Ulysses, wasa persistent and jealous suitor of Galatea, the fairest of seadivinities. So ardent was he in his wooings, that he would leave hisflocks to wander at will, while he sang his uncouth lays from thehilltops to Galatea in the bay below. Her only answers were words ofscorn and mockery. See Andrew Lang's translation of Theocritus, IdylVI, for further account.

=70-76. Abbey towers.= That is, Westminster Abbey, a mile's distanceto the south and east of Hyde Park. The abbey is built in the form ofa cross, the body or lower part of which is termed the nave (l. 73).The upper portion is occupied by the choir, the anthems of which, withtheir organ accompaniments, are alluded to in ll. 74-77.

=89-106. Miserere Domine!= _Lord, have mercy!_ These words are fromthe service of the Church of England. The meaning in these lines isthat Beethoven, in his masterpieces, has transferred the thoughts andfeelings, above inadequately expressed in words, into another and moreemotional tongue; that is, music.

=107. Ride.= A famous driveway in Hyde Park, commonly called RottenRow.

=119. vacant.= Thoughtless; not occupied with study or reflection.

"For oft, when on my couch I lie In _vacant_ or in pensive mood." --WORDSWORTH'S _Lines to the Daffodils_, ll. 19-20.

=124. hies.= Hastens (poetical). [193]=130. painter and musician too!= Arnold held poetry to be equal topainting and music combined.

=140. movement.= Activities. Explained in the following lines.

=163-210.= Note carefully the argument used to prove that poetryinterprets life more accurately and effectively than any of the otherarts. =Homer=, the most renowned of all Greek poets. The time in whichhe lived is not definitely known. =Shakespeare= (1504-1616).

Give the setting of the story. What was the topic of conversation?What stand did the poet's friend take regarding poetry? Why turn toGreece in considering the arts? What limitations of the painter's artare pointed out by the poet? What is his attitude toward music?What finally is "the poet's sphere," l. 127? Wherein then is poetrysuperior to the other arts? Does the author prove his point by hispoem? Discuss the poem as to movement, diction, etc.

QUIET WORK

No poet, not even Wordsworth, was more passionately fond of naturethan Arnold. Note his attitude in the poem.

=1. One lesson.= What lesson?

=4.= Discuss the use of the adjective "loud"; also "noisier," l. 7.

Note the essential elements of sonnet structure in metre, rhymeformula, and number of lines. See the introduction to Sharp's _Sonnetsof this Century_.

SHAKESPEARE

Despite this tribute, Arnold considered Homer Shakespeare's equal, ifnot his superior. What do Shakespeare's smile and silence imply onhis part? Explain in full the figure used. Do you consider it apt? Why"Better so," l. 10? What is there in the poem that helps you to seewherein lay Shakespeare's power to interpret life? Select the lineswhich most impress you, and tell why. [194]

YOUTH'S AGITATIONS

This sonnet was written in 1852, when the poet was in his thirtiethyear.

=5. joy.= Be glad. =heats.= Passions.

=6. even clime.= That is, in the less emotional years of maturity.

=12. hurrying fever.= See note, l. 6.

AUSTERITY OF POETRY

=1. That son of Italy.= Giacopone di Todi.

=2. Dante= (1265-1321). Best known as the author of _The DivineComedy_.

=3. In his light youth.= Explain.

=11. sackcloth.= Symbolic of mourning or mortification of the flesh.

Tell the story of the poem and make the application. Explain Arnold'sidea of poetry as set forth in ll. 12-14.

=6. foolish.= In the sense of unreasonable. =ken.= The Scotch wordmeaning sight.

=7. rates.= Berates, reproves.

Give the poem's theme. What is implied by the word "even," l. 1? Doesthe author agree with the implication? Why so? Discuss l. 5 as to itsmeaning. Interpret the expressions "ill-school'd spirit," l. 11, and"Some nobler, ampler stage of life," l. 12. Where finally are the aidsto a nobler life to be found? Do you agree with this philosophy oflife?

EAST LONDON

=2. Bethnal Green.= An eastern suburb of London.

=4. Spitalfields.= A part of northeast London, comprising the parishesof Bethnal Green and Christchurch.

Image the scene. What is the purpose of the first four lines? Discussl. 6. What is the import of the preacher's response? What are thepoet's conclusions drawn in ll. 9-14?

WEST LONDON

=1. Belgrave Square.= An important square in the western part ofLondon.

Tell the situation and the story of the poem. Why did the womansolicit aid from the laboring men? Why not from the wealthy? Explainll. 9-11. What is the poet's final conclusion?

[196]MEMORIAL VERSES

APRIL, 1850

Wordsworth died at Rydal Mount, in the Lake, District, April 23, 1850.These verses, dedicated to his memory, are among Arnold's best-knownlines. For adequacy of meaning and charm of expression, they arealmost unsurpassed; they also contain some of the poet's soundestpoetical criticism. The poem was first published in _Fraser'sMagazine_ for June, 1850, and bore the date of April 27.

=1. Goethe in Weimar sleeps.= The tomb of Goethe, the celebratedGerman author (see note, l. 29, _Epilogue to Lessing's Laocooen_), isin Weimar, the capital of the Grand-duchy of Saxe-Weimar. Weimar isnoted as the literary centre of Germany, and for this reason is styledthe German Athens.

=2. Byron.= George Gordon Byron (1788-1824), a celebrated English poetof the French Revolutionary period, died at Missolonghi, Greece, wherehe had gone to help the Greeks in their struggle to throw off theTurkish yoke. He was preeminently a poet of passion, and, as such,exerted a marked influence on the literature of his day. His petulant,bitter rebellion against all law has become proverbial; hence theterm "Byronic." The =Titans= (l. 14) were a race of giants who warredagainst the gods. The aptness of the comparison made here is at onceevident. In Arnold's sonnet, _A Picture at Newstead_, also occur theselines:--

"'Twas not the thought of Byron, of his cry Stormily sweet, his Titan-agony."

=17. iron age.= In classic mythology, "The last of the four great agesof the world described by Hesiod. Ovid, etc. It was supposed tobe characterized by abounding oppression, vice, and misery."--_International Dictionary_. The preceding ages, in order, were theage of gold, the age of silver, and the age of brass. [197]

=34-39=. Eurydice, wife of Orpheus, was stung to death by a serpent,and passed to the realm of the dead--Hades. Thither Orpheus descended,and, by the charm of his lyre and song, persuaded Pluto to restore herto life. This he consented to do on condition that she walk behindher husband, who was not to look at her until they had arrived inthe upper world. Orpheus, however, looked back, thus violating theconditions, and Eurydice was caught back into the infernal regions.

"The ferry guard Now would not row him o'er the lake again." --LANDOR.

=72. Rotha=. A small stream of the English Lake Region, on which RydalMount, Wordsworth's burial-place, is situated.

THE SCHOLAR-GIPSY

"There was very lately a lad in the University of Oxford who was byhis poverty forced to leave his studies there and at last to joinhimself to a company of vagabond gipsies. Among these extravagantpeople, by the insinuating subtilty of his carriage, he quickly gotso much of their love and esteem that they discovered to him theirmystery. After he had been a pretty while exercised in the trade,there chanced to ride by a couple of scholars who had formerly been ofhis acquaintance. They quickly spied out their old friend among thegipsies, and he gave them an account of the necessity which drove himto that kind of life, and told them that the people he went withwere not such impostors as they were taken for, but that they had atraditional kind of learning among them, and could do wonders by thepower of imagination, their fancy binding that of others; that himselfhad learned much of their art, and when he had compassed the wholesecret, he intended, he said, to leave their company, and give theworld an account of what he had learned."--GLANVIL'S _Vanity ofDogmatizing_, 1661. [198]

=13. cruse=. Commonly associated in thought with the story of Elijahand the widow of Zarephath, 1 _Kings_, xvii: 8-16.

=19. corn=. See note, l. 156, _Sohrab and Rustum_.

=30. Oxford towers=. "Oxford, the county town of Oxfordshire and theseat of one of the most ancient and celebrated universities in Europe,is situated amid picturesque environs at the confluence of theCherwell and the Thames (often called in its upper course the Isis).It is surrounded by an amphitheatre of gentle hills, the tops ofwhich command a fine view of the city with its domes andtowers."--BAEDEKER'S _Great Britain_, in his _Handbooks forTravellers_. In writing of Oxford, Hawthorne says: "The world, surely,has not another place like Oxford; it is a despair to see such a placeand ever to leave it, for it would take a lifetime, and more than one,to comprehend and enjoy it satisfactorily." See also note, l. 19,_Thyrsis_.

=31. Glanvil's book=. See introductory note to poem.

=42. erst=. Formerly. (Obsolete except in poetry.)

=44-50=. See introductory note to poem.

=57. Hurst=. Cumner (or Cumnor) Hurst, one of the Cumnor range ofhills, some two or three miles south and west of Oxford, is crownedwith a clump of cedars; hence the name "Hurst."

=58. Berkshire moors=. Berkshire is the county, or shire, on the southof Oxford County.

=69. green-muffled=. Explain the epithet. [199]=74. Bablockhithe=. A small town some four miles west and a littlesouth of Oxford, on the Thames, which at that point is a mere streamcrossed by a ferry. This and numerous other points of interest in thevicinity of Oxford are frequented by Oxford students; hence Arnold'sfamiliarity with them and his reference to them in this poem and_Thyrsis_. See any atlas.

=79. Wychwood bowers=. That is, Wychwood Forest, ten or twelve milesnorth and west of Oxford. See note, l. 74.

=83. To dance around the Fyfield elm in May=. Fyfield, a parish inBerkshire, about six miles southwest of Oxford. The reference here isto the "May-day" celebrations formerly widely observed in Europe, butnow nearly disappeared. The chief features of the celebration in GreatBritain are the gathering of hawthorn blossoms and other flowers, thecrowning of the May-queen and dancing around the May-pole--here theFyfield elm. See note, l. 74. Read Tennyson's poem, _The Queen o' theMay_.

=91. Godstow Bridge=. Some two miles up the Thames from Oxford.

=95. lasher pass=. An English term corresponding to our _mill race_.The _lasher_ is the dam, or weir.

=98. outlandish=. Analyze the word and determine meaning.

=111. Bagley Wood=. South and west of Oxford, beyond South Hinksey.See note, l. 125; also note, l. 74.

=125. Hinksey=. North and South Hinksey are unimportant villages ashort distance out from Oxford in the Cumnor Hills. See note, l. 74. [200]=129. Christ Church hall=. The largest and most fashionable collegein Oxford; founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525. The chapel of ChristChurch is also the cathedral of the diocese of Oxford.

=130. grange=. Consult dictionary.

=133. Glanvil=. Joseph Glanvil, 1636-1680. A noted English divine andphilosopher; author of a defence of belief in witchcraft.

=140. red-fruited yew tree=. The yew tree is very common in Englishburial-grounds. It grows slowly, lives long, has a dark, thickfoliage, and yields a red berry. See Wordsworth's celebrated poem,_The Yew-Tree_.

=141-170=. "This note of lassitude is struck often--perhaps toooften--in Arnold's poems."--DU PONT SYLE. See also _The Stanzas inMemory of the Author of Obermann_. For the author's less despondentmood, see his _Rugby Chapel_, included in this volume.

=147. teen=. Grief, sorrow; from the old English _teona_, meaninginjury.

=149. the just-pausing Genius=. Does the author here allude to death?

=151. Thou hast not lived= (so). That is, as described in precedingstanza.

=152. Thou hadst one aim=, etc. What was the Scholar-Gipsy's _one_motive in life?

=157-160. But thou possessest an immortal lot=, etc. Explain.

=165. Which much to have tried=, etc. Which many attempts and manyfailures bring.

=180. do not we ... await it too=? That is, the spark from heaven. Seel. 171.